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Coast Guard to bring Cedros fishermen home today

After two weeks of suffering in Venezuela, Cedros fishermen Awardnath Hajaree, Nicholas Hajaree and Shammi Seepersad will finally be escorted back home today by the T&T’s Coast Guard and Venezuela’s Guardia Nacional.

T&T Coast Guard public relations officer, Lt Sherron Manswell, yesterday confirmed that the trio were contacted via the Venezuelan authorities and arrangements were made for them to come home today.

“The T&T Coast Guard will receive the fishermen at Soldado Rock at 11 am, following which they will be returned to their families,” Manswell told the Sunday Guardian. He added that based on information received all three fishermen were alive, contrary to reports which were circulating that at least one of them had died.

Awardnath’s wife Heermatie Sankar praised God yesterday, saying she was finally convinced they were on their way home. Sankar has been expecting them to return since last Tuesday after they were released from a Venezuelan jail, but they never did despite the payment of fines for their safe release.

Hajaire, 52, son Nicholas, 26, and Seepersad, 36, went fishing aboard a pirogue off Cedros on April 5, when they were arrested by the Guardia Nacional.

A Trinmar worker captured footage of the Guardia chasing the pirogue in T&T waters where the fishermen were arrested. Since the arrests, the Government has come under attack for not assisting the Cedros fishermen on a timely basis.

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